The San Francisco Giants have locked up one of their cornerstone players.
The team and catcher Buster Posey have agreed to a multi-year contract that runs through the 2021 season and includes a club option for 2022.
"This is a great day for Buster, for the Giants and for our fans everywhere," said Giants senior vice president and general manager Brian Sabean. "Buster is an integral part of the team and his leadership and ability to produce offensively and play solid defense behind the plate makes him one of the most valuable and exciting players in either league. I have no doubt Buster will achieve continued success for the Giants in the coming years and beyond."
Terms of the extension were not revealed by the club. However, according to the Chronicle, the total value of the package is $167 million for the next nine years, including the $8 million he had already agreed to for the 2013 season, and contains a full no-trade clause. The club option in 2022 is worth $22 million.
The contract is the largest in Giants history and the largest ever given to a catcher.
Last season, Posey rebounded from an injury-shortened 2011 campaign to win NL MVP honors and help the Giants capture their second World Series title in three years. He batted a major-league best .336 with 24 home runs, 39 doubles and drove in 103 runs over 148 games.
The Giants selected Posey, who turned 26 on Wednesday, in the first round of the 2008 draft and he made his major league debut just a year later, appearing in seven games.
Posey was the NL Rookie of the Year in 2010 after hitting .305 with 18 home runs and 67 RBI, but his sophomore season ended following a home-plate collision with the Marlins' Scott Cousins on May 25, 2011. The backstop suffered a fractured fibula and torn ligaments in his left ankle.
"Buster's work ethic, leadership skills and extraordinary talent represent all that is great about our game and what it means to be a San Francisco Giant," said team CEO Larry Baer. "I want to commend Brian Sabean, Bobby Evans, Buster and his representatives for their hard work to keep Buster in a Giants uniform for an extended period of time."
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